The Victorians made Christmas
the time when friends and families
drew together around the blazing hearth -
that, above all,
symbolized their Christmas.
If Victorians
could not be said
to have invented Christmas itself,
they certainly invented
many of its most
popular aspects.
With that statement,
I will try to show you
what the Garland House parlor
may have looked like at Christmas time
back in her younger days.
"Happy, happy Christmas,
that can win us back
to the delusions of our
childish days;
that can recall to
the old man
the pleasure of his youth;
and transport the
sailor and the traveler,
thousands of miles away,
back to his own fire-side
and his
quiet home!"
Charles Dickens,
The Pickwick Papers, 1836
The Garlands
were not rich people.
Mr. Garland was a mine superintendent,
a reputable profession to be sure,
but not one that
would have lined his pockets with gold.
His wife, Jennie,
kept a neat and tidy home for
their three children
but, after expenses,
I don't imagine there was much
left over for fancy what-naughts.
These are not members of the Garland family. The larger photo is of
my aunt and my dad, probably around 1916. The small photo is of the Captain when he was about 5 years old.
The Victorians were well known
for their love of embellishments
and I, for one,
while only being Victorian in spirit,
can speak with authority
on the subject of how
one can accomplish that love
without the benefit of
great wealth.
Prince Albert
brought the Christmas tree to England
from his native Germany.
It was due to a picture showing
the royal family
gathered around it in wonder,
that the Christmas tree became
the centerpiece of the
English Christmas...
These are not members of the Garland family or the royal family either. Just a collection of well loved stuffed animals that, if asked, could tell a good story with the best of them.
...and when those gatherings took place
there would be
singing, dancing, plays,
charades, poetry readings
and story telling...
...the Victorians
adored anything with
fairies, ghosts, goblins and mysteries.
Long before Prince Albert
presented the Christmas tree,
the English homes were decorated
for the festive season.
The main decorations were
woodland greenery,
holly, ivy and mistletoe.
The townspeople
would hang the mistletoe
above their doors and
each time one was caught under the doorway,
a kiss was taken and a berry was plucked
from the mistletoe.
When there were no more berries,
there was no more kissing.
Holly was believed to be
a protection against witchcraft,
while ivy was a
symbol of immortality.
Greetings by post
were quite popular,
conveying warm and simple wishes
for the season.
Christmas decorations
were not put up until Christmas Eve,
as it was considered bad luck
to do it
any earlier.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fast forward a 100+ years...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank heavens
those earlier superstitions
have been put to rest.
I can't imagine
just having one or two days
to enjoy this
wonderful time of the year.
Time stands still in this Cottage.
I am still not
a fan of the
LED lights...
...I actually think
the tree looks prettier
without any lights on..at least in a photo.
What if those candles were the
only lights on the tree? (I was tempted!)
That would be a sight to see
on Christmas morning.
For the blue ribbons,
I cut strips of the light blue velvet fabric
and tied them each by hand.
I think they look much softer
than actual velvet ribbon.
They have a soft drape
and just easily lay on the tips
of the branches.
I imagine tea
would be a wonderful addition
to a Victorian celebration...
...and crystal
would cast a
soft light over all.
I hope you enjoyed
my version of a Victorian Christmas.
Right or wrong,
I hope I have conveyed the
spirit of the season.
In all that we have read and learned,
that is what has been carried
down through time
and has been, and will always remain, consistent.
"As long as we know,
in our hearts,
what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is."
Eric Sevaried
A little after thought...
I have had in my head
all that I wanted to do
for Christmas this year.
It started way back
while I was taking the decorations down
from last year.
I have always loved Christmas
and all that it entails,
but this year, however, was a
little (maybe a lot) different for me.
Some friends have been ill,
one close neighbor is going through
tough times
and, I suppose,
age has something to do with it also.
All of those things combined
has put me in a different mood than usual.
The sheer number of boxes
that we hauled out of storage
was so overwhelming to me this year.
I have hauled them out
for many years
and never has it affected me this way.
Everything that I thought
I would use
just looked tacky when it was put up
and I couldn't seem to
step over and around the boxes,
I was, literally,
tripping on each one.
Long story short,
I finally got the decorating done
but I guess my longings
(in my head, at least)
for quieter and more manageable times
is finally catching up.
I have said it for a few years now
and it must be time for it to happen.
I feel actually horrible
for the way I have felt and conveyed
to the only person (and his dog),
that I feel safe in saying such things to -
and I apologize to them profusely.
I know, also,
I have let my feelings spill over
to some of you and
for that I apologize.
To me,
Christmas has always been magical,
and magic should be honored.
I think I am apologizing to myself
as much as to anyone else.
In the words of Tasha Tudor,
"Take Joy!",
and in a personal note from a dear friend,
"This is the fun part,
to discover and create."
I think
I have learned
these valuable lessons well
this year.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
...Judy...
Return next week for more of our Christmas Cottage
Our first and most precious present.
Kai placed himself under the tree.
He must know that
he is a special gift
to us.
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